EL PAÍS launched an investigation into pedophilia in the Spanish Church in 2018 and did a database updated with all known cases. If you know of any cases that have not seen the light of day, you can write to us at: Abusos@elpais.es If it is Latin America, the address is: abusesamerica@elpais.es
───────────
Luis Argüello, head of the bishops gathered from Tuesday to Friday in the Plenary Assembly of the EEC (Spanish Episcopal Conference) also avoided, in his inaugural speech, even mentioning the name and position of Rafael Zornoza, the bishop of Cadiz and Ceuta investigated by the Vatican for allegedly repeatedly sexually abusing a minor in the 1990s when he was rector of the seminary of the diocese of Getafe. Zornoza did not attend the first day of the plenary session, which does not mean that he could appear in the next few days. Argüello called the complaint and investigation against the bishops of Cadiz and Ceuta “sad news” and appealed to the “presumption of innocence” as he did in Gran Canaria last week. There he admitted that the complaint had “plausibility,” but that he might have been “falsely accused.”
On the other hand, however, that of zero tolerance against total guarantees, as stated by the Archbishop of Tarragona, Joan Planellas, in an interview with Público: “In cases like that of Mgr. Zornoza, precautionary measures must be applied”. And he added: “The Church has learned or is learning from the issue of child abuse” and “clear” parameters need to be established. Eight days after El País published the news of the Vatican investigation, Zornoza remains in his post.
In more than half an hour of speech, Argüello referred to the Zornoza scandal with these words: “We will continue to work on everything related to assistance to victims of abuse throughout its path of prevention, reception, reporting channels, collaboration between dioceses, religious congregations and associations. We will receive the report of the Advisory Commission for Global Reparation”, he observed. “What we have experienced in recent weeks with the appearance of reports of cases of abuse fuels in us the desire to continue promoting all this”, underlined Argüello. “With the double principle of the presumption of innocence that we want to respect and that is respected for all citizens, even for members of the Church,” he continued.
The victim’s complaint was presented to the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith four months ago. Despite knowing the news for a long time, the Spanish Church and the Vatican kept Zornoza, who is now 76 years old, in office. The Catholic Church had an easy solution for Zornoza to leave office. When he turned 75, he had already submitted his resignation to the Pope, as established by canonical norms. Normally the Pope usually grants an extension of a few years, but in this case, after learning of the complaint, it could have been agreed to act quickly against the accusations. Precisely because, as article 1722 of the Canon Code indicates, precautionary measures serve “to avoid scandals, defend the freedom of witnesses and guarantee the course of justice”.
Argüello, who this Monday together with the leaders of the Spanish Church met Pope Leo He responded like this: “Trials in general are almost always slow, because they are guarantees, we believe in the rule of law.” Furthermore, he added, the canonical process itself, in the hands of the Tribunal of the Rota of the nunciature (the Vatican embassy), has “only been open for 15 days”. And he remarked: “It is under investigation.”
As regards the famous PRIVA cited in Argüello’s speech this Tuesday, according to what was published by this newspaper at the beginning of September, the bishops’ plan to compensate for the pedophilia scandal has failed: only 2% of the victims have been compensated. Those affected regret the disparity in scale, the bureaucracy and the wall of silence they face. They also feel like victims of the long trials. One of the victims who underwent this revictimization process confessed to this newspaper how long and cumbersome (sometimes lasting up to a year and a half or two) the process is.
Several victims’ associations met last Tuesday with the Minister of Justice, Félix Bolaños, to communicate to him the urgency of keeping the promise made by the government in 2023 to compensate those affected. Last year he approved a plan to compensate the victims with a fund in which the Church would also collaborate, but the Church refuses. He has always maintained that abuse is not something exclusive to religion, but rather occurs in all spheres.
